Madrid's Gap With Barcelona Got Reduced Again As Los Blancos Held by Valencia

byGuest PostonApril 9, 2012

Real Madrid are getting more cautious with their title battle as they’re gap with Barcelona got reduced again this weekend after Jose Mourinho’s team only managed to pick up a 0-0 draw against Valencia at Santiago Bernebau.

Both teams had their share of goal scoring chances but the home team might be felt more harm done by the result as they do edged it a bit in terms of creating opportunities as the visitor were counting more from their counter attacks.

Eying to regain their six points gap with Barcelona, Madrid immediately went on the attack but Valencia who are also aiming to keep their third place spot were determined not to lose more points at the top. The match were tight from the first half as Cristiano Ronaldo along with Karim Benzema were making life hard for El Che’s goalie, Guaita, while in the other end, Iker Cassillas was also made to work by Sofiane Fenghouli, Pablo Piatti along with Ricardo Costa.

Nothing really changed that much in the second half although Madrid did look more dangerous with Angel Di Maria and Kaka’s entrance, but they still can’t beat Guaita, who was having one of his best game this season, making some insane saves that frustrated the home team’s strikers. However, the visitor were not without chances in that half as several goal scoring chances from Tino Costa, Jordi Alba and also Pablo Hernandez could easily gave them a memorable victory at Santiago Bernabeu.

In the end, the effort put on by Unay Emery’s squad were more than enough to earn them a precious away point against the current league leader, a result which could motivate El Che’s players in their remaining matches. Meanwhile, the draw obviously puts Madrid under huge pressure since they will be facing some tough matches ahead where the likes of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and also Athletic Bilbao could jeopardize their title challenge this season.

Previously, Barcelona successfully keeping their title hope alive after picking up a 4-1 victory over Real Zaragoza, with Lionel Messi, once again became the Catalan’s main man with his two goals, adding to Carles Puyol and Pedro Rodriguez’s goals. Zaragoza actually scored first in the game through Carlos Aranda, but the dismissal of Abraham Fernadez prove costly for the home side, who simply melt down in the second period.

Other weekend game saw Athletic Bilbao finally getting their long awaited league victory after beating Sevilla 1-0 with Fernando Llorente scoring the only goal in the second half. It was Bilbao’s first victory in their last six league matches, giving some positive signal for Marcelo Bielsa’s side hope in ending the season in a better league position.